Harper Ann Is a Year Old! - April 16, 2014

It hardly seems possible that a year has gone by since the night we spent at the
Sutter Roseville Birthing Center waiting for my grandchild's arrival.  While Laura 
labored, her mom, all three of my boys, and another friend passed the time 
alternately chatting, snacking, and dozing, until, shortly, right before 7AM,
everyone but my son, Alex, Laura, the OB nurse and the obstetrician remained
for the big event.  

April 13, 2013 

The proud father-to-be, Alex Vukasinovic, with his brothers,

Shawn Smith ( the short one ) & the Jeremy Vukasinovic

Shortly after 7AM, we were called back into the room where, thrill of thrills, I met
my beautiful GRANDDAUGHTER, Harper Ann Vukasinovic, for the first time.

Of course, to me, she was the most beautiful baby ever and I was so happy to see a

little girl after having raised three sons!  Uncle Jay was already making plans to take

her fishing and to teach her to shoot a gun and to take her to a 49ers game while I

was picturing her in cute dresses and taking ballet!

I only got to see her for six weeks before it was time for my return to India.  Alex

dutifully downloaded Skype but he wasn't so great at staying in touch so I could see

Harper.  Laura did send videos of the major firsts...her cute smile, rolling over, etc.

I did get back home December 3 and I've been staying with the family in West

Sacramento, luxuriating in four months now of being a full time grandmother.  It's

been a delight seeing this baby crawl, learn new words, grow by leaps and bounds

and bond with her Nana.  If I am not out in the morning, she will crawl outside my 

door and howl until I respond, then she is all smiles.  She has a voracious appetite

( like her Nana ) and there doesn't seem to be a food that she has been offered 

that she doesn't like ( except, perhaps, raw mushrooms ).

The night before Harper's birthday party, Harper's two uncles, her "abuela", Elmira,

who had taken care of Uncle Jeremy and her dad almost from the time they

were born and Uncle Shawn's friend, Kim, came for dinner.  Uncle Jay

brought the most incredible cake his friend from Genintech made for

Harper.

It was almost too beautiful to cut but, believe me, it was so delicious!

Her first birthday party was held this past Sunday, the day before her birthday.  Her

Uncle Shawn was home from six months in Kuwait so we were all together for the

occasion, just as we were for her birth.  It was a lovely event, on a bright sunshiny

day, held in her Nene's backyard in Antelope, California.

I decided to wear an Indian outfit for the occasion.

Uncle Jay was all smiles.

Uncle Shawn was catching up on his beer drinking after six dry months in Kuwait.

Here come Mom and Dad with the cake!

Harper was lovely in her frilly pink dress and she enjoyed playing with her

cousins and was wide eyed at all the gifts.  Most of all, she seemed to delight

in devouring her birthday cupcake and frosting.   All the hoopla was a bit 

exhausting, though, for a little one-year-old.

Happy 29th Birthday, Jeremy Vukasinovic - November 2, 2013

Jeremy is my "baby" - all 6'4" of him.  He weighed in at birth at over 8 and a 
half pounds and I was able to deliver him without too much trouble, believe it
or not!!  He remained bald headed for a full year but many times, especially
in later years, he has sported the most wonderful curls, one batch going to
Locks for Love.

I can't seem to find any of his baby pictures here with me in India so I'll show
you some of his more recent ones.

This has always been a favorite of mine...with Alex, two years older,

at the Golden Gate Bridge

Jeremy has never lived very far from home.  He spent three years at the College

of San Mateo where he got an associates degree in Liberal Arts and his A.S.

in Fire Technology.  He always wanted to be a firefighter.  He went from San 

Mateo to Cal Poly, 250 miles away, in the beautiful area of San Luis Obispo.

There he got a degree in kinesiology.  From there he became employed in the

semiconductor field and, now, for the past two years, he's been at Genentech in

South San Francisco.  I'm afraid that job may take him away since he is being

considered for a new position outside the Bay area.  When I expressed my 

dismay at "losing" him, he laughed and reminded me that I am often seven

thousand miles away in India.

Here, on a cruise, big ( ?  brother, Shawn, is trying to teach him smooth moves

With his beer at the Locks for Lover hairdresser

I think this may well have been Jeremy's shortest haircut

ever - at brother, Alex's wedding...Shawn, big brother, sadly,

was in Germany with the Air Force and had to miss the occassion

Of all my sons, Shawn and Jeremy seem to have developed my love of 

travel.  Much of Shawn's has been compliments of Uncle Sam, via the Air

Force, but Jeremy has already seen much of Europe and Argentina ( as a 

college employee of a pharmaceutical company ) and he speaks Spanish

better than many natives.  He has a real sense of adventure and he likes

good food and wine.  He, unlike me, is very much health oriented and has

worked hard to help me develop healthier habits.

This is Jeremy and his Cal Poly buddy, Daniel...I'm 

posting this for Eileen Dryer who always puts up 

firefighter pics...I think he would have looked good

in a calendar

Jeremy is quite an achiever and he likes to remind his brothers - both of 

whom stretched college years out to over a decade - that he managed to 

graduate by the age of 24 ( making the Dean's list, no less ).  He's done

very well in the corporate world though he still would like to be a firefighter!

Mom with the three best sons any mother could have - 

Shawn ( the shorty ), Alex, and Jeremy

Jeremy with his other mother, Elmira Lopez - she came to us when

Alex and Jeremy were infants - I wanted someone who was monolingual 

Spanish so they grew up fluent in another language - and she was family to us -

and a lifesaver to me with my crazy call schedule - and what a terrific cook!!!

The all night Harper Ann vigil ( post epidural )

Mommy and baby are doing fine!!!  Proud papa and uncles

UNCLE Jeremy meets niece, Harper Ann Vukasinovic - I think it 

was love at first sight

Already, Jeremy has his niece checking out San Francisco's bridges

There is no question, I owe this young man a lot.  First of all, he almost single handedly 

moved me from my four bedroom home when I decided to come to India.  He made 

about a hundred trips to the dump, broke down furniture, loaded things into storage, and

kept me focused so I finally got to India, after changing two airline reservations.  He's

been the one to check my mail, send my medications when it's refill time, visit me in

the hospital and help me when I need it.  He's drawn the short end of the straw, poor kid,

with Alex two hours away in West Sacramento and Shawn playing Air Force.  I've

had an occasional lecture ( much needed ) from him, as well.

All this he did, after having undergone shoulder surgery at the end of his Division 1 Cal

Poly decathlon career!!!  In fact, his research into a surgeon, saved me having to do it 

and Dr. Belzer was the one who did my shoulder replacement!  Sadly, he just had

shoulder surgery again a few months ago.

So, baby boy, though I am often seven thousand miles from home, it will be very

sad for me, WHEN I AM HOME, not to have you there.  It's not that I need you to

haul things for me and all that, I love being able to enjoy a bottle of wine with you and

to have dinner from time to time.  I am well aware I'm getting on in years so, even

our brief rendevous are really precious to me.  I am prouder of you than you will

ever know and, though, I probably don't say it often enough, I am eternally grateful

for your kindnesses to me.  You are a fine young man and the lady that finally gets

to share your life, on a permanent basis, will be one lucky girl.

On this, your 29th birthday, I am so glad that you were born...and that my labor 

wasn't so bad at all.  I love you so much.

Mom

Camera Critters #218 - Peacocks - June 9, 2012

The peacock is the national bird of India.  I saw quite a number of monkeys, large

numbers of cows, and occasional camels and elephants.  I was always on the 

lookout for peacocks.  When my friend, Virginia Lynch, came to India, we went 

to Punjab University in Patiala where she had spent six months on a Fulbright 

Scholarship.  She told me, at about 5PM every evening, there was an area on 

campus where peacocks gathered.  I was anxious to see this.  For whatever 

reason, the day we were there, they decided to disappoint us.  Of course, we

couldn't remain until exactly 5PM and they may be birds who are quite rigid in 

their habits.  Only a few strolled by, rather drab peahens, bound for the same 

tree, in which nested  two males, their bright plumage folded.  So much for

India's national bird!!!

The Peacock

The national bird of India,
You strut with regal airs,
In terms of utter beauty,
No other one compares!

Your crown of brilliant blue,
Befits your splendid train,
Which you open to its fullest,
With a sense of great disdain.

Shimmering eyes peruse,
From the feathers of your tail,
With your train in full display,
You let out a piercing wail.

The courtship has begun,
You begin to sway and prance,
In hopes of enticing,
A peahen with your dance

Carmen Henesy

Copyright (c) 2007 by Carmen Henesy
All rights reserved. 

I am participating in Camera Critters #218,

Add your critter photograph and join in the fun.

Flash 55 Friday - Happy 40th Birthday, Shawn - December 17, 2010

Flash 55 Friday - Happy 40th Birthday, Shawn - December 17, 2010

Forty years ago today,

A blizzard howled outside,

But the contractions I was feeling,

Couldn't be denied!

In treacherous conditions,

We drove for forty miles,

But when Shawn finally exited,

My face was full of smiles.

First born of three, Shawn set the pace,

And his brothers soon were giving chase.

Happy birthday,  oldest son!

I am taking part in Mr. G-Man's Flash 55 Friday - check it out and see what the others have done!

Shawn Edward Smith

12 - 17 - 70

It's hard for me to believe, Shawn, that you are already forty-years-old.  How is that
possible?  It seems like only yesterday, I was waddling about, having gained 50 pounds
during my pregnancy, setting up the nursery in the apartment your dad and I rented over
a veterinarian's office in Lexington, Massachusetts, just outside Hanscom Field where
your father was a Lt. in the Air Force.  

I woke early the morning of December 17th, about 5AM, if I recall, because I was having
some cramping and my membranes had ruptured.  We were in the throes of a major
snowstorm and, after I took a shower, we had about forty miles to drive to the hospital. 
When we looked out the window, the snow had stopped but our car was buried.

December 17, 1970 - Lexington, MA

The car broke down a few miles from Chelsea Naval Hospital but, fortunately, we were

next to a gas station and the owner took us the rest of the way, in his truck, which had a

snow plow attached.  They gave me an epidural which slowed down my labor and you

didn't arrive till that evening.  Your grandmother flew up right away to spend a week with

us since she was en route to Thailand for six months because your grandfather was

stationed there.  She adored  you!

Newborn Shawn with Grandma Quinlan

You were only eight days old your first Christmas but Santa managed to find you and  you

were the best Christmas present I ever had!



Our collie, Snoopy, became your constant companion.  He slept beside your crib, lay

next to you if you were lying on the floor, and would follow whomever had you in their arms.

Your dad was a private pilot and a member of the base aeroclub so, when you were two

months old, we rented a Cessna and flew from Boston to New Orleans so our dear friend,

Father Gerard Poche, who had performed our wedding, could baptize you.  Auntie Meaux,

who had been my maid of honor, was also your godmother.  That trip began your love of

travel -I think I transferred that to you in utero!!

Here you are in Auntie Meaux's lap with Aunt Carol & Lara looking on.

One Saturday, we rented a Cessna 150 and flew up to Bar Harbor, Maine for a feast

of  steamed clams and lobster.  In fact, we had the same meal for both lunch and dinner. 

Ed got this shot of you, sitting on top of the Cessna.  Though it's a little worn with time,

it's one of my favorite pictures of you!

Of course, we couldn't let you celebrate your first birthday, without a trip to my favorite

place in the world - San Francisco.  Your dad and I had flown from Boston to New

Orleans to get married, then we'd honeymooned in San Francisco.  So we took you

when you were about nine months old.  What a perfect day we had at the Golden

Gate Bridge!!

For your first birthday and your first haircut, we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa

Quinlan in Columbus, Georgia.

Your second and third Christmases, we were stationed in Tampa, Florida.  We had traded

snow for much warmer temperatures and we bought our first house!



You celebrated your fifth birthday in southern California, then the following year, your dad

stayed in the Fullerton house and I brought you to the San Francisco area to follow my dream.

For eleven years, you were an only child, jetting back and forth to visit your dad in

Fullerton and hanging out with your friends in the San Francisco area.  When I remarried

and brought a baby brother into the scene, you were terrific, even changing dirty diapers,

on occasion.



Two years later, when Jeremy arrived, you took it all in stride and got used to having two

toddlers following after you and your friend, Tim.  It gave him good practice for the two

children he now has.  You, still single, said you don't plan to marry and, if you do, you

don't plan to have children.  "I've already raised two!"  And that you did.  When I was

disabled for a year and a half following extensive back surgery and the father of the boys

 left ( they were only one and three ), I couldn't have made it without you.

Shawn, Grandpa Quinlan, Alex & Jeremy

Your dad, Ed, and Lois, your "other mother", came up for your high school graduation. 

Lois and I couldn't believe how closely you resembled your father, even to all your

little mannerisms.  The three of us, also, couldn't believe how long it was going to take

you to get your electrical engineering degree from San Jose State.  The next time we

gathered together for that occasion, you were 34-years-old.  Of course, you did do

some Air Force active duty time in there!

You got quite a workout with your brothers until they finally got taller than you ( they're

now 6'4" to your 5'10" - I think that's your height ) and both were football players - so,

eventually, you couldn't win the wrestling matches, not even against just one of them. 

Face it, kiddo, you're getting old.

At 21, when you decided to go into the Air Force Reserves and left home for basic

training and then six months of tech school, there was a major sense of loss around

here.  It was very exciting, though, to go to San Antonio to see you graduate.  I can't

remember but you did so with honors and you were dorm chief or something like that -

and your drill Sgts. were WOMEN!  And you could fold your underwear into a two

inch square!

I just want to say how much I have enjoyed having you for a son.  We have shared

a home for a lot of years and you are very good company.  I appreciate all the ways

you've come through for me over the years ( I finally believe, after years of working

on the navigation systems for the C5 and C17 that you really can take my computer

apart and fix it ).  Our talks about travel, food and wine are a joy and you are more

than just a son, you are a friend.  I think you are also more than just a brother to

Alex and Jeremy, you are their friend and were there when their father wasn't.  I was

just so sorry that the Air Force sent you to Germany one week before Alex and

Laura's wedding.  You missed a great occasion and you should have been part of it.

Shawn, aka, George Clooney ( his Air Force boss calls him that! ) and his friend,

Dawn, at my 66th birthday celebration

Happy birthday, Shawn!  Take your milk thistle and enjoy many, many more birthdays.. 

I am very proud of you as I am sure Ed and Lois are, too.

Mom